Game apparatus



July 1, 1924. 4

C. PAPOUCHIS GAME APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet, 1

Filed May 3l, 1922 July l. 1924. r C. PAPOUCHIS GAMEV APPARATUS Filed May 31 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet. 2

C. PAPOUCHIS GAME APPARATUS July l, 1924.

Fi lcd May 31 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 rml/Enron er W in rma/vir;

July 1, 1924. 1,499,748

C. PAPOUCHIS GAME APPARATUS Filed May 31, 1922 4sh'eetssheev. L

"` in: which i the balls are bowledfor rolled- Patented July l, 1924,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHRIS-T PAPOUCBIS, F FAB MGKAWAY, NEW YORK.

GAME APPARATUS.

Application led May 31. 1922. Serial No.' 564,685.

To all whom. it'may concem:

Be it known that I, CHRIST Parocnra, a citizenofthe United States, residing at 306 Central Avenue, Far Rockway, ew s York, have invented certain `new and useful Implrovements fin Game Apparatus, of which t e following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying draw- 'ings 'forming a part hereof.

Tliis invention Arelates to game apparatus A at a tar t, and are returned automatically to the/p ayers end of the falle The invention is concerned particular y with the l devices by which the apparatus is made self-scoring, the delivery of each ball at one point or another of the target eiecting the advance of an' indicator and register hy an extent which corresponds to the relative value'of the oint of the target atwhich the hall is dehvered. The invention is also concerned. withthe means for resetting the at the end of a string of balls and for the release of a determinate number of a6 balls, such resetting and release mechanisms preferably beingcoin-controlled. The apparatus in its complete form can therefore be set up in a public place of amusement and used without requiring the-services of' a' special attendant. The several features of improvement will be referred ,to in detail hereinafter, with reference tothe accompanying drawings in' which they are illustrated as embodied in a suitable and :'.5 convenient form of apparatus. In the drawings- Figure 1 is a view of the complete game apparatus in side elevation, the target and registering apparatus being indicated by 4o broken lines.

Figure 2 is a top view of the same.

Figure 3 is a detailA v iew in front elevation, partly in section through the alley. showing the target and the indicator and re sten igure 4 is a view in side elevation` on a larger scale than that of Figures l, 2and 3, of the registering and indicating mechanism andthe parts immediately associated therewith.

Figure 5 is a view in front elevation of the parts shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a detail view in side elevation of the coin-controlled releasing and resetting lever'and -some associated parts,

Figure 7 is a top view of some of the parte shown inFi re 6. A A

Figure 8 1s a view artly in side'elevation and partly in lon tudinal section illustrating particularly t e ball releasing de- 90 vices.

Iiigurev 9 is a top view 'of the parte shown`4 in Figure 8. l

The form of alley in which the' severll features of the invention are shown as eme bodied, is'suiciently indicated in: i 1 and 2, the position-of the player. indicated ata and the of theta at a. The iloor of the alle on which4 e balls are rolled, as indica at a?, is pref` 'l0 erably inclined so that the balls are rolled by the player up hill' from the players stand a toward the tar t a. At one side of the floor a* is a troug a', into which the 4 balls are delivered from the target and by which the balls are returned by avty to the glayers stand, the trough inf eline as indicated.

In connection with the return trough a and preferably located near the target,

-s a ball retaining and releasing `device b,

shown in Figures 1, 2, 8 and 9, which is adapted to retain the balls delivered from the target and scoring mechanism and to release 'a determinate number when oper- B5. ated. As shown, a bar b', pivoted on a horizontal axis b below the trough a' and counter weighted, as at b', carries at one end a stop b which is provided with an extended finger b and at the other end with a yieldingly mounted stop b. Below the lever b' is mounted a second lever b' which is connected to the wires d', d* hereinafter mentioned. When the lever b' is moved by a pull on the wire d' it causes the lever b' e5 to move from the position shown by full lines into the position indicated by broken lines` moving Vthe stop b into the path of the .balls and moving the stop b out of the path of the balls. The halls which are. thus released immediately to roll down the trough and, rolling over the extended portion b, which then lies in the slotted bottom of the trough, hold the lever in its releasing sition. As soon as the 106 last of the balls as rolled from the extension bs the lever b', under the influence of the weights b, returns to its normal position, to permit the determinate `number of balls tovmove into 'position to be released. 110

V'The lever b is conveniently operated by the operation of a lever d at the players position, being connected thereto as by a wire d', while a wire d, also connected to the lever b', forms an extension of the wire d for the operation of the indicator resetting devices. The lever' d is preferably A devices.a

coin-controlled by an suitable Such devices in detail o not form part of the present invention."The devices illustrated in Fi 6 and 7 of the drawings mag be briey described as follows:

t the tar etend of the alley there is erected a suita le housing e which may compise side plates e' and suitable frame memrs, as at e. Between the side plates c may be hungat their u per ends, upon a cross rod f, ins or flat si ouettes of pins f' which have iterent values.. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated the middle in is aumed to have a value of thirty, each of the two adjacent pins, one at each side of themiddle pin, is assumed to have a value of `twenty,'and each of the outside pins is assumed to have a value of ten. The spaces occupied by the several pins are marked 0E by tapered partitions f2, so that each ball, as it is .delivered-at the targetfshall be guided into one space or another and shall not strike twol pins simultaneously. The partitions are continued beyond the end of the alley and deliver the balls into a common transverse trough f, inclined to one side, so that all of the balls, wherever the strike the target, are eventually delivere to the return trough a. In the spaces beyond the pins fz are hung fingers g, g', g', g, adapted severally to be moved by the ba ls as they pass from the end of the alley. The fin er g stands behind the middle pin, is moved y a ball whichhas struck the middle pin a'nd is adapted, as hereinafter explained, to advance the scoring mechanism through an extent of movement which corresponds to thirty. The two fingers g and g? stand behind the pins adjacent to the middle pin, one on each side, and as these two pins have the same'value and the scoring mechanism isadvanced to a corresponding.` extent whether the ball strikes one or the other of the fingers g', g, these t'wo fingers g' and g2 are connected so as to move together, as by a bar g. while the two fingers g and g, standing behind the outside pins which have each a value of ten, are connected together as by a bar 57. All of the fingers 'g, g', g', g, g, are hung for free movement upon a rod gT and also hung for free movement u on the same' rod is a bail g, the bar g o which stands justhack of all ofthe fingers so that the bail is moved 4by the movement of any one of the fingers. The bail g' has an arm g1 which is connected bya wire gw' to the 'scoring mechanism so that at each movement of the finger g the scoring mechanism' is ad-A vanced throu h an extent correspondin to the value thir of the middle in. The ail g is moved whenever any of t e pins g', g", g is moved, but the movement of the fiilgers g', g2, g, g* limits the movement of the scoring mechanism as will be described, the two fingers g' and g7l having, on the hub of the finger g2, an arm gu which is connected by a wire g1 to the scoring mechanism in such manner as to limit the, movement of the scoring mechanism to the value of twenty, whlethe 'fingers g and g* have, on the hub of the finger g, an arm which is connected to the scoringmec anism by a wire gm in such manner as to limit the movement of the scoring mechanism to the value of ten.

The indicator and register of the scoringl mechanism comprises a series of plates which bear on one face the corresponding indication of value, the first plate of the series, which is shown in Figures 4 and 5 as exposed, having the ii ure 0 on its face, while the successive plates bear on their faces the numerals 10, 20, 30, etc. The plates h are pivotally hun between the side plates h of a carrier whic is mounted on an axis h2. and is adapted to be moved u on its axis, as hereinafter described, throng .the movement of the fingers ,\g'., etc., so as to cause one, two or threefo the indicator plates to be moved into exposed position. When the carrier is in its initial position to which it is restored by the resettm mechanism to be described, the zero plate has its face exposed to view, as shown in Figure 5, while the other plates of the series are either in the position shown at the right hand of Figure 4 or in the position shown at the le t hand of Fi 'ure 4, these plates last referred to being he d by a pivoteddetent h which is supported by an armv'h. If the carrier h. is advanced throu h one step only, from the position shown in igure 4, then the next plate h which is the 10 plate alone is reeased, this movement being eected when a ball strikes the pin iq or the in g. If, however, the first ba l strikes t e finger g, then the carrier is advanced through three steps, which movement is suicient to release three plates h fromthe detent ha, thereby exiis posing the plate 30 to view.4 In whatever position the carrier h may be, it is actuated so as to expose thethird successive indicator plate whenever the fin er g is hit by.;l ball; its movement, initiate by the movement of the bail g', is limited lso as to expose the second successive plate whenever either finger g or g* is hit by a ball; and its movement, also initiated by the movement of the bail g', is limited so as to ex ose the'next successive `plate whenever eit er finger` g or g is struck by a ball.

'lhe carrier is over-balanced so that it tends always to move in a counter-clockwise direction as seen in Figure 4 and it is provided, near the margin of one side plate, with a series of escapement holes h5 which are so spaced apart as to permit the movement of the carrier suiicent to release the next successive indicator plate or the seeond or the third, as the vcase may be. These holes are adapted to be engaged b escapement pins i and i respectively, t e pin i normally engaging the carrier to prevent movement thereof but movable out of engagement with the carrier and movable into p the carrier ma engagement therewith and also movable with the carrier to a variable extent as determined by the finger g', g2,4 g or g which is struck by the ball. The pin 1I is carried by anV arm i of a right angled lever z" is, which is pivoted on the frame, as at i and is held normally by a sprin i in the position shown in Figure 5. e arm g1 is connected by the wire 9'1"l to the arm i and the latter is also connected by a link i with an arm i' which projects from a slotted link a" which is pivoted as at i so as to swing toward and from the carrier, and receives between its members and between pins il which limit its maximum movement, the loosely pivoted bar i which carries the escapement pin i. The bar i is counterwei hted, as at i", so that itf stands normal y in the relative position shown in 'Figure 4, and is capable not only of swinging in a horizontal direction, so as to engage the pin z" with the carrier, but of swinging in a vertical direction to an extent limited. at the maximum, by the pins 271. It will now be understood that at every actuation of the finger g, the pin is disengaged from the carrier and the pin z" is simultaneously engaged therewith, whereby the carrier is permitted to move under the influence of gravity through an extent limited by the coaction of the pins i with the bar i, such movement being sutlicient to permit the release of threesuocessive plates so that the face of the third successivev plate is exposed to view from the front. The arm g, which moves with the fingers g', g2, is connected by the wire gm to a spring pressed lever k which underlies an arm k of a latch la, pivoted on the axis i and having a stop k which normall stands' out ofthe path of movement of t e escapement bar i so that the carrier may move through two steps only. In like manner, the arm g12 is connected by the wire gm with a counter-balanced lever l'which eoacts with the arm l of a latch l having a stop l normally out of' the path of the escapement bar i but permitted by movement of the lever l. to swing into the path of the escapement bar i and limit the movement thereof so that move through one space only and there ore expose the next successive number plate,

It will now be understood that the indicator carrier is released at every operation of any of the fingers g, g', g2, g, g, that when it is released by movement of the middle finger g it is permitted to have its maximum movement so as to release three successive number plates, that when it is released by the movement of either finger g', g2, it is permitted to have movement sufcient to releasetwo successive number plates, and that when it is released by movement of either linger g3, g it is permitted to have movement sutlicient to release only one number plate.

At the end of a game or of a string of balls it is necessary to restore the carrier h, with its indicator plates, to the position shown in Figure 4. For this purpose the wire d2, connected by the wire d' to the resetting lever d, is connected to a spring pressed lever m, m', m shown in Figures 1 and 2, the arm m being connected, as by a chain m, to the hub of a resetting lever m* which is mounted on the axis of the carrier and is adapted to contact with a pin ha which projects from the adjacent side plate of the carrier and thereby to restore the carrier to its initial position. The lever,m is extended and provided with a projecting arm m5 which also contacts with the zero indicating plate L and through it raises all of the other indicating plates which have been released above the swinging detent so that they shall be held thereby as shown in Figure 4. A fixed stop m is provided to limit the movement of the resetting lever.

It will now be understood that when the parts are in the positionsshown in Figures 1 and 4 and the lever d has been released by the insertion of a coin, the operation of the lever releases a determinate numberof balls and permits them to roll to the players end. e scoring mechanism is shown in Figure 4 as in its initial position, but ordinarily it will be left by the preceding player in a more 0r less advanced position` so that the operation of the lever d effects the restoration of the scoring mechanism to initial position as well as the release of the balls.

he player now rolls the balls in succession toward the target., each ball effecting the automatic advance of the scoring mechanism through an extent which corresponds to 4the value of the pin struck. Thereby the valve of the pin struck is indicated by the di'erence in values of the last two plates exposed and at the same time the total of lthe score is registered.

It will be understood that various changes in details of construction can be made to 125 suit the convenience of the manufacturer or the requirements of use and that the Invention, except as pointed outl ln the claims` is not limited tothe particular construcx30 tion shown and described herein I claim as my invention:

1. In a bowling gaine apparatus, the coinbination of a scoring mechanism, several devices in different positions adapted to be actuated by the balls, a single means actuated by all of said devices to initiate movement of the scoring mechanism, and other means actuated by certain of said devices to limit `in different degree the movement of the scoring mechanism.

2. In a bowling game apparatus, the combination of a scoring -mechanism, several devices in different ositions adapted to be actuated by the bals, a single escapement for the scoring mechanism, means actuated by all of said devices to operate the escapement and other means actuated by certain of said devices to limit in different degree the movement of the scoring mechanism.

3. In a bowling game apparatus, the combination of a scoring mechanism, movable fingers mounted in different positions to be struck by the balls, a single means actuated by all of said fingers to initiate the movement of the scoring mechanism and other means actuated by certain of said fingers to limit in different degree the movement of the scoring mechanism. i v

4. In a bowling game apparatus, the combination of a scoring mechanism having a tendency to forwar -movement, a single escapement for said scoring mechanism, several fingers in different positions to be struck by the balls, other means actuated by all of said fingers to operate the escapement, and means actuated by certain of said fingers to limit in different degree the movement of the scoring mechanism.

5. In a bowling game apparatus, the com bination rof a scoring mechanism having a tendencyvto forward movement, a single escapement for said scoring mechanism, several fingers in different positions to beA struck by the balls, means actuated by the movement of said fingers to operate the escapement, other means operated by certain of said fingers to limit the movement of the scoring mechanism, and other means actuated by the movement of other ofsaid fingers to limit in different degree the movement of the scoring mechanism.

6. In a bowling game apparatus, the combination of a scoring mechanism comprising an over-balanced movable carrier having a tendency for forward movement and successive number plates mounted movably on the carrier, a relatively fixed detentfor the number plates, and means to initiate the forward movement of the carrier whereby successive number plates are exposed to view.

7. A scoring mechanism. for howling game apparatus` etc., comprising an over-balanced carrier mounted to swing u on an axis, and having a tendency for orward movement, successive number plates mounted on the carrier to swing on axes parallel with the axis of the carrier, means to initiate the forward movement of the carrier, and a detent cooperating with the number plates and from which they are successively released in the forward movement of the carrier.

8. A scoring mechanism for bowling game apparatus, etc., comprising a carrier mounted vto swing upon an axis, and having a tendency for forward movement, number plates mounted on the carrier, an escapement cooperating with the carrier, means to operate the escapement, and means to limit the movement of the carrier.

9. A scoring mechanism for bowling gaine apparatus, etc., comprising a carrier mounted to swing u on an axis, and having a tendency for orward movement, number plates mounted on the carrier, an escapement for cooperation with the carrier and including a bar movable into and out of engagement with the carrier and movable with the carrier, means to operate the escapement and means to limit the movement ofr said bar.

10. A scoring mechanism for bowling game apparatus, etc., comprising a carrier mounted to swin upon an axis, and having a tendency for orward movement, number plates mounted on the carrier, an escapement for cooperation with the carrier and including a bar movable into and out of engagement with the carrier and movable with the carrier, means to operate the escapement, a stop movable into the path of said bar and means to control the movement of said stop.

11. A scoring mechanism for a bowling game apparatus, etc., comprising a carrier mounted to swing upon an axis and having a tendency for forward movement, number plates mounted on the carrier, an -escapement for the carrier comprising a pin movable into engagement with the carrier to hold the carrier'from movement and movable out of engagement with the carrier, and a second pin movable into and out of engagement with the carrier and movable with the carrier, means to limit the movement of the last named pin, and means to move said pins in alternation into and out of engagement with the carrier.

12. A scoring mechanism for a bowling gaine a paratus, etc., comprising a carrier moiinte to swing upon an axis and having a. tendency for forward movement, number plates mounted on the carrier, an escapenient for the carrier comprising a pin movable into engagement with the carrier to hold the carrier from movement and movable out of engagement with the carrier, and a second pin movable into and out of engagement with the carrier and movable iis' means with the carrier, means to limit the movement of the last namedpin, means to move said pins in alternation into and out of engagement with the carrier, a stop to limit the movement of the second named pin and means to move said stop into and out of operative position,

13. A scoring mechanism for a bowling game apparatus, etc., comprising a carrier mounted to swing upon an axis and having a tendency for forward movement, number plates mounted on the carrier, an escapement for the carrier comprising'a pin movable into engagement with the carrier to hold the carrier from movement and movable out of engagement with the carrier, and a second pin movable into and out of engagement with the carrier and movable with the carrier, means to limit the movement of the last named in, means to move said pins in alternation into and out of engagement with the carrier, stops to limit in different degreethe movement of the last named pin, and means to move said stops into and out of operative position.

14. A scoring mechanism for bowling game apparatus, etc., comprising a carrier mounted to swing upon an axis, successive number plates mounted upon the carriera lever mounted on a iixed pivot and having a pin for engagement with the carrier, a bar having a second -pin for engagement with the carrier and mounted for movement toward and from the carrier and with the carrier, a slotted lever engaging said bar to move the bar toward and from the carrier and to permit movement of the pin with the carrier, and means to actuate said levers to move the pins in alternation into andout of engagement with the carrier.

15. A scoring mechanism for bowling game apparatus, etc., comprising a movable carrier and number plates mounted thereon, a series of fingers mounted in different positions to be struck by the balls, a bail adapted to be moved by the movement of any of said fingers and operatively connected to the carriez.` to initiate the movement thereof, and means actuated by the movement of certain of said fingers to limit in different degree the movement of the carrier.

16. A scoring mechanism for bowling game apparatus, etc., comprising a movable carrier and number plates mounted thereon, a series of fingers mounted in different positions to be struck by the balls, a bail adapted to be moved by the movement of any of said fingers and operatively connected to the carrier to initiate the movement thereof, means actuated by certain of said fingers to limit the movement of the carrier, and means actuated by other of said fingers to limit in different degree the movement of the carner.

17. A scoring mechanism for bowling game apparatus, etc., comprising a movable carrier and number plates mounted thereon, a series of fingers mounted in different ositions upon a common axis to be struc by the balls, a bail adapted to be moved by the movement of any of said fingers, means actuated by the movement of the bail to initiate the movement of the carrier, the fingers being connected in pairs on opposite sides of the middle finger, and means actuated by the movement of the pairs of fingers on opposite sides of the middle finger to limit the movement of the carrier.

This specification signed this 23d day of I May, A, D. 1922.

' CHRIST PAPoUCHIs. 

